


just like a bullet leaves a gun

by carolinecrane



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-11
Updated: 2009-05-11
Packaged: 2017-11-06 16:15:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/420834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolinecrane/pseuds/carolinecrane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sometimes you just need a little push in the right direction.</p>
            </blockquote>





	just like a bullet leaves a gun

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this two years ago, and I don't remember anymore how I justified to myself the idea of writing Star Trek key party fic. Posterity etc.

"It's an ancient Earth social ritual," Ensign Tejeiro had said, smiling in that way she'd been doing since he met her during their first fencing class. It was the 'I'm going to get what I want and there's nothing you can do about it' smile, and Sulu still fell for it every time. He wasn't even sure why, because it wasn't like she'd ever pretended to be interested in him. She was just...persuasive, and that was the only reason Sulu found himself dropping his insignia into the bowl at the door to her quarters. That and the fact that she'd insinuated that the rest of the crew thought he was getting a big head now that he was a member of the Bridge crew, which was totally unfair, and not even true.

He looked around the room at the small crowd gathered, most of them vibrating with nervous energy and all of them decidedly _not_ Bridge crew, and wondered if maybe Tejeiro's powers of persuasion were an alien weapon of some kind. He should probably get Dr. McCoy to check into that. Just as he was about to turn and leave, insignia be damned, the door opened behind him and he heard a very familiar voice say, "Excuse me." Sulu's heart sank and he turned to face his fellow officer, taking in wide eyes and a vaguely nervous smile. 

"Who invited the kid?" he asked, though it wasn't like he didn't already know the answer. Tejeiro again, using more magic powers that Sulu didn't even want to think about. If she was a Telepath _and_ had mind control powers...well, she might just be the most dangerous undiscovered weapon of all time. 

"Don't be rude, Sulu," Tejeiro said, appearing at his elbow as if by -- you guessed it -- magic. "Pavel's not that much younger than the rest of us."

"Pavel's...Mr. Chekov is still a teenager," Sulu pointed out, ignoring the way his voice cracked on his fellow officer's name. And he wasn't even sure why he'd bothered to say anything, because for one thing, he didn't care what Pavel Chekov did in his spare time, and for another, it wasn't like he was going to end up with Chekov's insignia anyway. Especially when Chekov didn't drop his in the bowl, and Sulu frowned as Tejeiro gripped his elbow and dragged him to the other side of the room. 

"So he's a little younger than everybody else, that doesn't mean he can't have a little fun," Tejeiro said. She pushed Sulu backwards until he sat down, landing hard on the edge of her bed before she turned to face the room. "Great, everybody's here. So let's get started."

Sulu barely listened as Tejeiro explained the rules to the group. He'd heard them before, when she was convincing him to come to her stupid key party, and it wasn't like the concept was all that complicated. It was probably a violation of about eight different regulations, especially the part where half the people in the room had taken off their insignias and handed them over to...well, to somebody on the other side of the room, eventually. Sulu's gaze strayed in that direction, frowning at the sight of Chekov standing in a group of girls, a faint blush rising up his neck and his gaze straying toward Sulu every few seconds.

They were the only two members of the Bridge crew in the room, which was definitely a good thing. If Captain Kirk got wind of this...well, okay, if Captain Kirk got wind of it he'd just be mad he hadn't been invited. If Spock found out about it, though, Sulu was pretty sure they'd all find out exactly which regulations they were violating and the exact punishment for every one.

"Okay," Tejeiro said at the end of her speech, and she sounded way too happy about the whole affair. She reached for the bowl full of insignias, holding it up and turning in a full circle. When she spotted Sulu her self-satisfied smile got even more smug, and Sulu's heart sank for the second time that night. There was no way...she _couldn't_ know, but somehow she must, because when she looked away from him she turned straight toward Chekov. "Normally I'd say ladies first, but since there's only one gentleman in the choosing group tonight, we'll give Pavel first choice."

With her back to him Sulu couldn't tell, but he would have bet a large number of credits that in addition to being a Telepath and a mind control expert, she also knew slight of hand. What he did know for sure was that whatever insignia Chekov ended up with, it was no accident. "It's...uh...it's Lieutenant Sulu's," Chekov said, two bright red spots blooming on his cheeks as he looked up from under eyelashes that were way too long for any man. And this wasn't happening, because they worked together all day long, and it was one thing to think the kid was sort of cute when he wasn't being completely annoying, but it was another to do...whatever everyone else in the room thought they were about to do. Everyone including Chekov, apparently, because he was still _watching_ Sulu, and now he was smiling.

"Excellent choice," Tejeiro said, turning to look at Sulu. He could see the dare in her eyes, and the protest that had been forming died on his lips. "And since you already know each other, half your work's already done. Run along now," she added, smiling her sweetest smile and if they weren't in a roomful of their colleagues, Sulu would have shown her exactly how skilled he was at hand to hand combat. Except that she'd been his sparring partner while they were still at the Academy, and he wasn't even sure he could beat her at fencing.

Sulu straightened his back and shot her one last glare, then he marched across the room to the door. When it slid open he looked back at Chekov, and when the kid said, "Oh. Oh!" and scurried across the room, Sulu had to work hard not to blush. He didn't look to see if the entire room was watching them go; he didn't want to know, because whatever they all thought was going to happen, they were dead wrong.

He waited until they were halfway down the corridor before he stopped walking, waiting for Chekov to catch up before he held out his hand. "My insignia," he said when Chekov just stared at him. 

"I believe you are supposed to wait until we get back to your quarters," Chekov said, his accent hitting hard on the word 'wait', and Sulu did not think it was cute. "Ensign Tejeiro said..."

"I'm not walking around the ship out of uniform," Sulu said, reaching over and grabbing Chekov's hand. As soon as he did he realized it was a mistake; thin fingers curled around his own, and when he looked up, Chekov was watching him with...was that hope? Sulu slid his insignia out of Chekov's grip as gently as he could manage, taking a deep breath as he clipped it back on and turned to face the kid. "Look, Chekov, this was a bad idea. Bridge crew should never have been at that party in the first place. So what do you say we call in a night, and in a few years we can look back and laugh about all this?"

"So you are not attracted to me?" Chekov asked, eyes going impossibly wider and yeah, Sulu was going to kill Tejeiro.

"It's not...look, you're just a kid," Sulu said, but the excuse sounded just as flimsy to him as it probably did to Chekov. In fact, he was pretty sure it did, because the kicked puppy expression disappeared, and in its place bloomed a smile Sulu had never seen before.

"I am mature for my age."

Sulu glanced down the corridor, afraid -- or maybe hoping -- that someone would interrupt their conversation. The area around them was completely deserted, though, and considering the number of people on board the ship, he was pretty sure that must be another of Tejeiro's super powers. Or maybe Chekov had powers of his own, because somehow he'd gotten even closer without Sulu noticing. "I don't...I mean, I usually don't date guys."

It wasn't strictly a lie; he usually didn't _date_ , at least not in the past few years. He'd been so busy trying to make his mark in Starfleet that he'd let his social life fall by the wayside. Which is how he ended up on such friendly terms with Tejeiro, now that he thought about it, because the only people he ever talked to at Starfleet were just as driven as he was.

"But you make exceptions, no?" Chekov said, moving another breath closer and now Sulu could feel the heat radiating off him. He was still smiling, enthusiastic and innocent and way too young, but something told Sulu he wasn't nearly as innocent as he looked. At least he knew what he wanted, and when he surged forward and planted a clumsy but insistent kiss on the corner of Sulu's mouth, he _had_ to grip Chekov's shoulders and pull him closer. He had to; otherwise they both would have hit the floor, and there was no way he could explain that to a passerby. He couldn't explain making out in the corridor either, so he gripped even harder and shoved Chekov to a safe distance.

For a second they just stared at each other, Sulu glaring and Chekov just...waiting, as though he knew exactly what Sulu was going to decide, and he was willing to wait as long as it took. And he was right, because Sulu finally sighed and gripped Chekov's bicep to pull him down the hall. They reached his quarters without running into anyone else, and Sulu opened the door and ushered Chekov inside where at least no one would see them. 

They made it as far as the wall next to the door before Chekov was kissing him again, busy fingers pushing his uniform shirt up his chest and warm lips marking a trail along his neck. And he knew he should stop it, because there was no chance at all that they weren't going to regret this. At least Sulu was going to regret it, but he was starting to get the impression that Chekov wouldn't regret it at all. Chekov kissed like he didn't know what regret meant; he was all enthusiasm, fumbling hands that weren't quite as experienced as he'd made them out to be, hot, breathless kisses that Sulu couldn't stop himself from moaning into.

He knew he should put the brakes on, at least slow things down enough to remember the details later. If they were going to do this he figured they should enjoy it, but before he mustered the focus to at least get them vertical, Chekov slid to his knees. 

And that was something he'd never let himself picture, no matter how much he thought about Chekov's mouth. He'd thought about the shape of it, the thinness of his lips and the way they curved when he smiled. He'd wondered once or twice if Chekov had ever been kissed, if he'd been more well-rounded at the Academy or if he'd kept his focus on his studies the way Sulu had. He'd wondered who Chekov might have been kissing, but every time he caught himself wondering how it would feel, he'd reminded himself why it was never going to happen and changed the subject.

Now that he knew...well, he sure as hell wasn't ever going to _forget_. He wasn't going to forget the sight of Pavel Chekov on his knees, either, pale eyes turned up to him as he reached for the zipper hidden in Sulu's uniform pants. 

"Wait," he heard himself say, hand covering Chekov's where it was sliding his zipper down.

"You would prefer something else?" Chekov asked, and Sulu's dick stirred at the open curiosity on Chekov's face. He knew what he should say; he preferred that they not do this at all, that they go back in time an hour so that Sulu could decide not to show up at Tejeiro's quarters. They knew time travel was possible, and an hour probably wouldn't even be that big a deal. Easy for somebody like Chekov, Sulu thought, a shaky laugh escaping him as soon as the idea occurred to him. 

"Chekov..."

"You may call me Pavel," Chekov said, still kneeling expectantly in front of Sulu, and that was too much. He reached down and dragged Chekov to his feet, hand in his hair -- and how long had he been wondering how soft those curls were? -- to pull him into another kiss. Softer this time, taking his time as he backed Chekov toward the bed. He let go long enough to pull his uniform shirt off, kicking his shoes off at the same time. And it turned out Chekov could move pretty fast, because when Sulu looked up again he was already shirtless and scrambling out of his uniform pants.

His breath caught in his throat at the sight of Chekov -- Pavel -- leaning back, hands braced against the mattress and legs hanging over the edge as he watched Sulu undress. And it was kind of weird, because nobody had really _watched_ him like that in awhile, like he was some kind of fascinating new life form. Sulu took his time pulling the rest of his clothes off, thankful his skin wasn't pale like Pavel's to show off his blush. When he was finished he planted one knee on the mattress next to Pavel's leg and leaned in, pressing his mouth against the side of a pale neck. His tongue darted out to taste salt, teeth grazing sensitive skin until Pavel whimpered and arched up against him.

Technically they weren't doing anything wrong. They wore equal ranks, and they were both part of the Bridge crew. If Sulu considered it logically, the truth was that they were well-suited. Chekov was a little younger than him, sure, but other than that they were perfect, at least on paper, and the idea made Sulu's heart pound against his ribcage. He'd avoided feeling...well, _anything_ about anyone for a long time, and if this didn't work out, they'd still have to work more closely together than most of the other crew on board the Enterprise. Maybe Pavel hadn't thought of that. Maybe that was where the difference in their ages came on; Sulu thought about the consequences, and Pavel was still naive enough to jump in with his eyes closed.

Except Sulu got the feeling that Pavel had been thinking about this for awhile now, at least long enough to conspire with Tejeiro to get him alone. He laughed against Pavel's neck, the sensation making Pavel moan and thrust up even harder against him. Sulu pushed up far enough to look down at the body trapped under him, hips rocking just enough to tease. "This is crazy."

"You think too much, Hikaru," Pavel said. His arms slid around Sulu's neck, and when Pavel pulled him down for another kiss, Sulu decided that maybe he was right. So he didn't think while Pavel was kissing him, and he didn't stop to wonder when he found himself on his back with Pavel braced above him. He did think when Pavel's mouth finally closed around him, but only because he wanted to remember what he was doing with his tongue exactly. And it turned out that maybe Pavel _did_ know what he was doing, because it wasn't long before Sulu was rendered incapable of thinking at all.

Later he'd probably remember all the reasons this was a bad idea. Maybe he'd even remember why it was such a bad idea to stop thinking and go with his feelings, because that always got him in trouble. But it felt good -- it felt _amazing_ \-- with Pavel moving under him and Pavel's fingers digging into his skin. It was better than he ever would have imagined, and when he finally collapsed on the mattress next to Pavel he couldn't bring himself to regret giving in.

"I am to spend the night, yes?" Pavel said, voice already far away as though he was half-asleep. "It is part of..."

"...the rules, yes, I remember," Sulu interrupted. He felt his stomach pitch a little at the reminder that this was all a game. He wanted to say to hell with the rules, that if Pavel wanted to play head games he could go do it somewhere else, but before he could find his voice a warm body slid close to him and soft lips pressed against his cheek.

"Good," Pavel murmured, curling around Sulu until his entire body was pressed against Sulu's side. "In the morning we do it again."

In the morning. In the morning things would look a lot more complicated, because they both had duty stations to report to and there were bound to be rumors, considering the number of people who watched them leave together last night. But Pavel was breathing against his neck, chest rising and falling against Sulu's bicep, and maybe this wasn’t such a bad game after all.


End file.
